General Tojo was appointed Army Minister in the Japanese Cabinet on 22nd July 1940
Although Tojo did not become Prime Minister until October 1941, his appointment as Army Minister was significant. His influence in the Cabinet took the Japanese in a new direction. His political appointment effectively marked the end of the argument from those within the Japanese establishment who wanted a withdrawal from China. General Tojo was a strong supporter of the Tripartite Alliance between Germany, Italy and Japan and his militaristic and aggressive outlook hardened the Japanese position towards a wider war. The U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull was later to describe him as:
… a typical Japanese officer, with a small-bore, straight-laced, one-track mind. He was stubborn and self-willed, rather stupid, hard-working, and possessed a quantity of drive.
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